Automatic means for opening and closing gates or doors



Aug. 7, 1951 1 U E 2,5635365 AUTOMATIC MEANS FOR OPENING AND CLOSING GATES OR DOORS Filed June 20, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 7, 1951 Filed June 20, 1947 H. M. PURNEL AUTOMATIC MEANS FOR OPENING AND CLOSING GATES OR DOORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 7, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in gate or door opening appliances, and it is aprincipal object of the invention to provide a device that will permit ready and easy opening of a door or gate by an approaching vehicle, the vehicle engaging with an operating member that actuates associated parts and opens the door or gate prior to the arrival of the vehicle. Such a gate or door may be in a roadway, or it may comprise a garage door, or any other type of closure.

The invention further comprises means whereby the door or gate may be closed after the vehicle has passed the barrier.

The invention is shown applied to a gate in a roadway, but it is obvious that other forms of doors or gates may be so equipped. In accordance with the principles of the invention, this gate is mounted on a track so that it can slide perpendicularly to the roadway. Mounted in the roadway is a pivoted arm that is adapted to be actuated by the vehicle to operate a series of cables to swing open the gate. A similar arm on the other side of the barrier may be operated in reverse to return the gate to its original closed position.

The invention will be more readily understood with the aid of the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a gate constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention, the view being taken from the center of the roadway and looking at the gate.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the gate shown in Figure 1, taken along the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan View of the cable arrangement for operating the gate.

Figure 4 is a front elevation, partially in section, of the arm that is engageable by the vehicle for operating the gate. 1

Figure 5 is a vertical section, taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a vertical section of the arm, taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure '7 is a front elevation of the arm, in the extreme position of its travel.

Figure 8 is a horizontal section of the arm, taken along the line 88 of Figure 4.

With particular reference to the drawings, there is shown a sliding gate ID, in a fence H. The gate IQ comprises a series of uprights i2, i3, and I4, one of which is adapted to ride on an overhead track I5.

A cable 29 has one end fixed to the bottom of the upright [2. The cable then passes around three stationary pulleys 2|, 22, and 23, and the other end of the cable 20 is then attached to 2 frame that is movable along a horizontal track 26 positioned along and parallel with the right hand side of the road. Consequently, as the frame 25 is pushed forward, the cable 20 will be pulled around the pulleys 2 I, 22, and 23, and the gate ID will be pulled to the right. The other side of the frame 25 hasanother cable 30 at- ..tached thereto, the cable 30 passing around a fixed pulley 3| and being attached to the bottom of the upright l3. As the frame 25 is pushed forward to open the gate ill, the cable will have no tension exerted thereon but will merely move along with the gate Ill. When the frame 25 is pushed in the opposite direction, a tension will be exerted on the cable 30 to pull the gate ill to the left to close it, and the first cable 28 will merely follow along. Thus, movement of the frame 25 forwardly will result in opening the gate I G, and movement of the frame 25 backwardly will result in closing the gate Ill to the left.

The stationary pulleys 2!, 22, 23, and 31 are fixed to the ground or some fixtures, in any desirable manner, so that their axes are vertical.

To reduce friction, the lower extremities of the uprights l2, l3, and M of the gate H! are provided with rollers 34, which are adapted to ride on a horizontal track 35 positioned underneath and in line with the gate Ill. These rollers 34 may comprise a single roller, a pair of rollers, or two pairs of rollers, the latter being indicated in Figure 5 of the drawings. The track 35 may be above ground, or it may he made level with the ground to present no impediment to the vehicle as it passes through the open gate.

The bottom of the frame 25 may be provided with similar rollers 31 to operate on the track 25.

An upright arm ll] is pivoted horizontally to one side of the frame 25. The lower portion of the arm All is provided with a central slot M which accommodates the pivot pin 42 extending laterally from the frame 25. The frame 25 also carries an annular spring 44, pivoted to the frame 25 by means of a pivot pin 46. One end of the spring 45 is fixed to the frame at 41, and the other end 48 of the spring is movable with re-- spect thereto, the movement of the end 48 being limited by a stop 49. A similar spring 50 is pivoted to the frame 25 on the other side of the arm 40.

Normally, the arm 4!] is in upright position, that is, perpendicular to the ground. The arm 40 is maintained in this position with respect to the frame 25 by means of a latch 5| carried by the arm 40 and adapted to be accommodated within a slot 52 in the center of the curved surface of the frame 25. A coil spring 53, having one end anchored in the bottom portion of the arm 40 and the upper end of the spring 53 bearing against a lug 54 that is in contact with the pin 42, tends to keep the arm 40 in its downward position, where the latch 5| is caught in the slot 52 of the frame 25.

In the operation of the device, as the vehicle approaches the gate I0, one of the wheels thereof encounters the arm 49, which is in line with the path of the wheel 60. The wheel will push the arm 40 and its attached frame 25 along the track 26, and in the movement thereof, the cable 26 will be pulled to open the gate [6, as hereinbefore mentioned. When the frame 25 and the arm 40 reach the limit of their travel, the bottom portion of the arm 40 will encounter a cammed surface 55 on the track 26. The cam surface 55 will raise the bottom of the arm 40, so that the latch 5| is released from the slot 52. The arm 40 will then be tilted about its pivot 42, against the force of the spring 50, and will remain in this depressed position until the vehicle has been enabled to pass thereof. As soon as the vehicle has cleared the arm 40, the spring 50 will at once retract the arm 49 to its upright position. The extreme position of travel of the frame 25 and the arm 40 is controlled by an adjustable spring stop 51, of which the tension is adjustable by horizontally adjusting spring 51 with respect to the end 58 of the track 26.

When a vehicle approaches the arm 49 from the opposite direction, it will be moved to the other end of the track 26, and then it will be depressed against the pressure of the spring 44 exerted by the end 48 thereof, in a similar fashion.

The opposite end of the roadway on the other side of the gate it may be similarly provided with another frame 125 and arm M0, riding on a track I25. With such means, the gate may be operated from both sides of the roadway to either opening or closing position.

Consequently, it will be observed that the driver of the vehicle need not leave his seat in order to operate the gate It). It is, of course, possible to arrange the arm 48 and frame 25 at suitable height along the side of the road so that these members may be operated by hand, to be pushed along until the gate I0 is opened or closed, as the case may be. Further, the cables 20 and 30 may be so arranged that instead of exerting their pull from side to side, they may be made to operate overhead or vertically, or to swing a door about its hinges.

The frame 25 may be provided with two additional slots BI and 62 to latch the arm 40 in either one of its depressed positions while the vehicle wheel 60 passes thereover. As soon as the frame 25 is retracted from its extreme end position, the arm 40 will be released, and will once more assume an upright position under the influence of the springs 45 and 50.

Of course, the device can be actuated by the bumper or any other part of the vehicle, as well as by the wheel 60.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for moving a gate into and out of bridging relation with respect to a gate opening comprising a base, an upstanding frame member positioned on one side of said gate and mounted on said base for movement along a linear path perpendicular to said gate toward and away from the latter, cable means operatively connected to said frame member and said gate for opening the g latter in response to the linear movement of the former toward said gate, an upright arm actuable upon contact with a vehicle positioned contiguous to one side of said frame member and mounted on the latter for limited vertical up and down movement and for rocking movement in select positions of said up and down movement from an upright position to a depressed position, separate resilient means arranged on opposite sides of said arm and operatively connected to said frame and each engaging said arm for maintaining the latter in its upright position and for restoring said arm to its upright position when said vehicle has urged said arm into said depressed position against the bias of one of said resilient means, another resilient means 0peratively connected to said arm for normally biasing the latter into the down position of the vertical movement, interengaging means on said frame member and said arm coacting with each other when said arm is in its down position to thereby maintain said arm in its upright position, and means on said base adjacent said gate engageable with the lower end of said arm upon execution of the linear movement of said frame member toward said gate for urging said arm out of said down position to thereby disengage said interengaging means.

2. A device for moving a gate into and out of bridging relation with respect to a gate opening comprising a base, an upstanding frame member positioned on one side of said gate and mounted on said base for movement along a linear path perpendicular to said gate toward and away from the latter, cable means operatively connected to said frame member and said gate for opening the latter in response to the linear movement of the former toward said gate, an upright arm actuable upon contact with a vehicle positioned contiguous to one side of said frame member and mounted on the latter for limited vertical up and down movement and for rocking movement in select positions of said up and down movement from an upright position to a depressed position, separate resilient means arranged on opposite sides of said arm and operatively connected to said frame and each engaging said arm for maintaining the latter in its upright position and for restoring said arm to its upright position when said vehicle has urged said arm into said depressed position against the bias of one of said resilient means, another resilient means operatively connected to said arm for normally biasing the latter into the down position of the vertical movement, interengaging means on said frame member and said arm coacting with each other when said arm is in its down position to thereby maintain said arm in its upright position, means on said base adjacent said gate engageable with the lower end of said arm upon execution of the linear movement of said frame member toward said gate for urging said arm out of said down position to thereby disengage said interengaging means, said last named means comprising a camming element fixedly secured to said base and being provided with a cam surface for engagement with said arm.

3. A device for moving a gate into and out of bridging relation with respect to a gate opening comprising a base, an upstanding frame member positioned on one side of said gate and mounted on said base for movement along a linear path perpendicular to said gate toward and away from the latter, cable means operatively connected to said frame member and said gate 5 for opening the latter in response to the linear movement of the former toward said gate, an upright arm actuable upon contact with a vehicle positioned contiguous to one side of said frame member and mounted on the latter for limited vertical up and down movement and for rocklng movement in select positions of said up and down movement from an upright position to a depressed position, separate resilient means arranged on opposite sides of said arm and operatively connected to said frame and each engaging said arm for maintaining the latter in its upright position and for restoring said armto its upright position when said vehicle has urged said arm into depressed position against the bias of one of said resilient means, another resilient means operatively connected to said arm for normally biasing the latter into the down position of the vertical movement, interengaging means on said frame member and said arm 00- 20 acting with each other when said arm is in its down position to thereby maintain said arm in its upright position, means on said base adjacent said gate engageable with the lower end of said arm upon execution of the linear movement oi said frame member toward said gate for urginz said arm out of said down position to thereby disengage said interengaging means. and a resiliently mounted stop disposed along said linear path and fixedly secured to said base for limiting the movement of said frame member toward said ate.

HARRY M. PURNEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 508,879 I 'Herth et al. Nov. 14, 1893 585,881 Baker July 6, 1897 942,408 Peterman Dec. '7, 1909 1,058,286 Bachmann April 8, 1913 1,753,512 Hammond April 8, 1930 1,851,784 Sturm Mar. 29, 1932 1,961,283 Diller June 5, 1934 

